Distant Truth
by Meg-Li.Ya
Summary: I was not the brightest girl in the room, not the prettiest one either, but either way, I was good at what I did. Archery, that is. Now... if Tsunayoshi Sawada would have been kind enough to not turn around when I was aiming at him, things wouldn't have gotten so messy. OC x You x Undecided
1. Chapter 1

**Distant Truth**

Meg: Hey, everyone. This is a little plot bunny that has been haunting me a little. I've been meaning to write it but I am completely overwhelmed by self-doubt. That's why you guys, from , are going to be my test readers. I'll therefore hope you will be kindly enough to leave me some impressions and decide who will be the love pairing. It can be: Hibari Kyoya, Sawada Tsunayoshi, Gokudera Hayato, Yamamoto Takeshi and _eventually_ Mukuro. I just don't trust Mukuro to let me write him IC. Or Ryohei. I could try but I really don't want to have to stare at the screen and wonder how to add in all the _extreme_ speech pattern.

Now, allow me to welcome you in my first chapter. The one that had like about 58 failed attempts before it pleased me enough to think of it as a chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the OC and the writing.

* * *

**-Looks-**

**He had seen you. **

"—shoot—"

His brown pupils had stared straight at you as if he had singled you out from all the possible things he could be looking at. The suddenness had made you tense up, your entire body seeming to have grown heavier, tighter and the string had felt harder and harder to pull. It had gone off without you meaning to, the aim suddenly off and the string not drawn far enough and you had found yourself ducking, hoping that maybe, maybe you had been paranoid and that he had been looking at the object of his crush, Kyoko Sasagawa, who might have seen him from the second floor and waved at him. You had then listened closely, hidden and barely able to make out the sound of the crowd because of your haggard breathing. You had wanted to look, see what you had done, but you had been scared he had actually seen you. You could not afford to get caught. So you had run to your club—_your alibi—_, vaguely aware of the lack of screams—_you must have missed, because no one had screamed bloody murderer._

"—arrow—"

You hadn't reached your full draw, the arrow had probably hit a little short and fallen into the ground. At best, you must have nicked Tsunayoshi Sawada's cheek—_and he should be dead by now, the poison you had coated the tip with would have ended his life._ Though you had serious doubts about that as his rather extraordinarily competent friends, Hayato Gokudera and Takeshi Yamamoto, would have probably thrown themselves in front of the arrow to protect him and considering their physical abilities, you believed they would succeed—_but then again, you had been shooting toward Tsunayoshi's back, they shouldn't have seen it. _

"—forgotten gloves—"

Not that shooting when they were leaving had helped you. When you had been close to the perfect shot, the brunet had turned around and looked toward the school as if realizing he had forgotten something **and stared straight at you.** His eyes had met yours, or at least, it seemed to have and it had **scared** you. It had felt like he had seen through you and unmasked your presence, your goal, as if he knew **you were targeting him and trying to kill him**. And it had utterly **terrorized **you. You had lost all your composure, failing even the most basic shots with your longbow. You had been preparing this for weeks, neglecting your exams so you could prepare the perfect arrow, the perfect spot and the perfect moment. And you had failed if the lack of blood and the missing arrow were any clue. The arrow was probably in their possession, studied to find you. Not that they would, it had taken you time to gather the money to buy your hunting arrow without leaving any trail but you had managed, because, God forbid, your employer was not someone you wanted to ask help from.

'_Rather than employer, maybe I should call him, my disgusting and detestable supervisor.'_

"—Masumi?" A hand grasped your shoulder, jolting you back to reality. You looked sideway, meeting the worried glance of your boyfriend, Shin Haruka. "Are you ok? You seem so… unfocused today, are you sick?" He immediately reached to feel your forehead, his hand feeling cool against your skin. "You don't have a fever…"

"I-I'm fine, Shin." You were if you forgot the failed murder attempt, your futile effort at calming your nerves down and the dreadful knowledge you probably have to try again. "I just… I just have a lot on my mind, okay?" You bit your lip, hoping the short answer would be enough for him. He was like a dog with a bone if he wanted to know something you hid and you had been pushing your luck lately.

"Did something happen?" He gently stroked your hair, the gesture so intimate and gentle you felt your heart break a little. "You know you can tell me anything…"

Your throat tightened. He had been your boyfriend for months now, but the two of you had never shared more than a sweet hand holding as if both of you had been scared of endangering your long-time friendship but it had been more him than you—even though he had been the one that asked you out. You didn't understand and you had never bothered to breach the subject, scared to know the answer..

"Nothing," you lied, the most sincere smile you could muster on your face. You had gotten better at lying. Besides, if Shin insisted to know, you would bring the subject toward the lack of kissing on his part. He would probably get flustered again and try the hardest to run away. "I just worry about the exam results. I didn't do very well this time. My mom is going to kill me if I don't pass them."

"Well, if you have to take make-up classes…" he put a hand on his chest, releasing the most unconvincing dramatic sigh. "I will take it upon myself to help you with your homework."

_'__It worked.'_ You glanced toward your laced hands as you walked toward your home, wondering what you did to have such a perfect boyfriend. Shin was particularly good at what he did, seeming almost too perfect to exist. He was very good at studying, sports and had a rather attractive appearance. He could probably date a prettier girl, someone nicer and more loving, but he had chosen you. Maybe it was because of the convenience? From the first day he got transferred, fate had brought the two of you together. Your interest in archery had brought you together and before you knew it, you two had become friends. You shared similar tastes in food, music and movies, it was almost like he was your long lost twin.

And one day, he sat on the desk in front of you, watching you pack to leave for the archery club. The sun was setting then, making his purple hair seem almost silvery. He had seemed bored for a few minutes, before he turned and reached to touch your hand. The movement had startled you, making you look at him and he had met your eyes, looking at the determined glint in his eyes. He had simply whispered, "Hey… would you be my girlfriend?" You would have been a fool to refuse. You were still young and this was an experience you had always wanted. It had felt like those fairy tales where the perfect prince would come and sweep you off your feet, it had felt so right to say yes but at the same time, it had never felt so wrong.

You should break up with him, you realized. The relationship you two shared was not Love and he probably had realized it by now. This was pure friendship, fueled by deep affections, but it was not Love. Even if it had been love, you would have still lied to him, because what was happening to you had nothing to do with him. It hurt to lie to him and you would probably have to do it a lot more from now on. **_Especially if you were going to kill someone._**

"—ah, we're here." He stopped in his track, his hand tightening around yours slightly. "Ah, um, I guess… you should go in." He released your hand so he could hand your messenger bag—_bag he always carried because he wanted to dote on you_. Then, he brushed his hair back, releasing a slightly annoyed breath. "I just don't know what's up with you, [Name], but, uh…"

"_I love someone else!_" You were looking down, you could not bring yourself to look at his face now. It hurt so much to lie to him but if he showed you that pained look of his, you were going to break. "I… I'm sorry, Shin. I thought… I thought I would love you. I sincerely thought I could fall in love with you, you're so nice, you're always looking out for me, helping me when I'm hurt… but it's just not working!" You felt your body tremble, all this tension you had been hiding for weeks starting to show. You could not bask in his kindness if you were going to do these things they asked you to. "_Let's break up_."

His hand, his big, warm hands moved to rest against the wall, barely an inch away from your face. They trapped you, _he trapped you with his body_. His chin almost touched the top of your head, _you could feel the heat from his body._ His voice, hushed and low, whispered, "_Look at me._" You flinched, recognizing danger and you tried to look lower, much lower, as if you could shrink into the ground and hide. And he squeezed his hands into fists next to you before he repeated again, angrier, "Look at me!"

You did. You had raised your face, your eyes watering with fear. There was so much to be scared of, so much to worry about.

His eyes narrowed into slits, his entire body tense with emotion. He took a minute, scrutinizing your face. It felt like he knew something you didn't. "_Tell me this while looking at me._" You did. You told him you wanted to break up, that you liked someone else, and it made him angrier. He moved his right hand, taking the necessary distance so he could hit and you froze, not knowing what to do. But he wasn't aiming at you, he had punched the wall, and he had bled. Even though you had not been hurt, the tears had run down your face and a sob broke through your façade. It was followed by another, then another and you had ended up crying. Shin had immediately calmed down and with his left hand, he had then brought you into his arms to rub your back. "Shhh…"

He had turned to press his body into the fence of your house, raising his eyes to the sky as he whispered, "I know when you lie." You were still crying, barely listening and definitely unable to answer. "I know you lie when you say nothing is wrong, I know when you lie when you tell me you love someone else." He paused as if thinking what to say next before he ruffled his hair and sighed, defeated. "We've been friends for months and when we started dating, I thought we got closer… It hurts to know you're in trouble and you won't tell me."

"I-I'm not," your breathing itched. You rubbed your eyes angrily as the tears refused to stop, your nose was running and you probably looked disgusting right now. "I'm not l-ly-ing." You repeated stubbornly. "I-I'm just ti-tired of this." You tried to leave his embrace, but he was still holding you close as if refusing you parting with him. You brushed it off, pushing him on the chest. "S-stop this, Sh-Shin." You inhaled deeply a few more times, forcing yourself to gather whatever composure you had left and what little pride you still had so you could look at him in the eye and say this without hiccup, "_I am in love with Tsunayoshi Sawada._"

He snorted. "Pleaaaase. Do you even know what he looks like?"

You stubbornly raised your chin and persisted in your lie. "Brown hair, brown eyes, slightly taller than me, a first year."

He was not buying it. He was studying you as he asked, "His birthday?"

"May 8th."

"His blood type?"

"AB."

"Favorite food?"

"Tuna."

"…"

"…"

"You are just making this up, aren't you?"

"No." But you were, not that he could prove it at this instant. "I just asked around to know more about the man I like."

"I'm not breaking up," he said, staring at you with so much intensity you had to look sideway, avoiding his gaze only to focus on the red print on the wall—_his punch was still visible on the wall._ "I won't break up."

"Then kiss me." You bit back, your eyes meeting his in a challenge. "If you love me so much, prove it. Kiss me, not on the forehead, not on the cheek, but here." You almost jabbed your thumb in your lip at the violent jerk of your hand. "On the mouth, like you mean it, like you love me, like you can't live without me. Then I'll tell you everything you want to know." Your mouth curled into a taunting leer as you continued, the self-satisfied laugh almost audible in your tone, "And don't serve me your 'I'll only kiss you when we will be at the altar' shit, it was sweet the first time, but afterward, it was clear you were bullshitting me."

And he grabbed your shoulders, his face lowering. His eyes were staring straight at yours, you had angered him again, you realized, but you were tired of it. Of his insincere love and his limitless kindness. But even mad, he was hesitated, he was so close, so damn close and he refused to close the gap. Even riled up, you were not attractive enough for him to cross the line, to kiss you. You tightened your hand by your side, turning it into an angry fist as he turned around and spat an angry, "I'm still not breaking up," before leaving.

Nobody would be able to pick up the pieces of your broken pride and the laugh you heard behind you would definitely not help. You turned around to look at the source of this familiar laugh. You scowled at the sight of his amused face. "You have to admit, though, he is persistent," you heard your uncle say. "I didn't expect you to actually have a boyfriend, [Name]. Do you still have time to date after all the assignments I give you?"

You threw him a look of pure disgust, before you crossed the door. "What I do in my free time is none of your business."

"Did you kill the boy?"

"…There were some… unexpected complications." You paused, closing your eyes to erase the sight of your target's chocolate eyes. "But I'll manage."

**End of 'Looks'**

* * *

Meg: You will probably see the verb 'look' a lot. Blame my lack of imagination when it comes to verbs. ...Does Shin sound psycho? Because I think he does. Now, tell me what you thought about Shin. About yourself. How do you imagine yourself to be, personality-wise, when you read all this? What kind of role do you think you hold in the general? Mafia? Powerful hitmen? Simple idiot? Can you imagine what is going to happen after with Shin?


	2. Chapter 2

Author: Hey guys. So, here is what will clear up a little what happened in the prologue. I invite you all to tell me your thoughts about this chapter. I had tried, vainly, to make some crack to lighten up the story, because, hell, there is a lot of tensions in this. Sadly, rare will be these moments of pure amusement where you can giggle without worries.

Feel free to tell me what you think. And tell me who you would like to be your lover! :)

* * *

"Normalcy"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi is a second year," Shin declared in a proud voice, moving his chair to be next to you. His satisfaction made you raise a brow, uncertain as to what he meant by that. "...you said he was a first year, because… you know…" As you looked at him even more dubiously, he spluttered, deflating at your uncomprehending gaze. "Are you messing with me?"

Now it was your turn to smile slightly. "You actually asked around for his information, didn't you?" At his silence, you found yourself giggling a little. "That explains so much…"

"?"

"You see…" you paused for the dramatic effect, a soft and definitely fake sigh leaving your lips. "The Manga Club dropped by to tell me they understand my pain. My boyfriend had, it seems, made his coming out. I'm utterly shattered."

"My... coming out?" He parrotted, his cheeks flushing as he computed. "But I'm… who? HOW?"

"I was given a sample of their upcoming doujin, look." You pulled out a sketch depicting your ex-boyfriend licking his wet fingers in an obviously perverted way. "It seems you are now officially a seme in this school full of bishounen that swing the other way. Even worse, you're now one of the eager participants of an obvious romantic triangle involving a silver-haired male and brunet. You will have to fight against your underclassman so your one-sided love can triumph against that obvious worship he has for Sa-

"STOP!" he covered his face with his hands, obviously trying to you from continuing this dramatic monologue you had started. His outburst attracted several questioning looks before you exploded into a fit of giggles. "I regret asking." His face fell against the desk as he complained, "How did they even come to this conclusion?"

You grinned, your sleepiness already disappearing with the entertainment you were offered. "Well, for starters, there is your hair. They're way too pretty. Plus, you keep dyeing them in very… effeminate colors. I mean, who dyes their hair light blue, purple or even, green? It's like you're screaming for the attention."

He sent you a slight annoyed look. "You never complained before."

"That's because I get a share in the betting pool. I get 25% of the earnings if I inform them when you're planning to get a new color." You looked thoughtfully at the ceiling, ignoring the immediate dafuq look he sent you. "then, I guess, there is also… how nice you act. It's almost too suspicious how well you get along with girls, yet don't get involved with any. 'cept me, that is. You know there were rumors about us being related? Either way, it became unimportant since now..."

"Now I asked info about a guy so it's a revelation," he answered bitterly.

Your amused tone made him twitch unhappily. "Exactly."

"Tell me you cleared the misunderstanding up." The accusing look he sent you made you answer with the most innocent smile you could muster. "...you didn't."

"Well~" you found yourself almost sing with the laughter you were holding in. "They asked me to help them get you in character because of my experience and the deep, meaningful bond we had. They even said they would draw some revenge doujin where I could torture you to my liking to cheer me up. I didn't have it in me to just refuse such an honor and so much kindness…"

"...you were so amused by it you decided to participate."

"Or that." You flashed him with your brightest smile.

"It doesn't matter." He seemed thoughtful, before he leaned in toward you. His nose touched yours, his lips curving into a smirk. "I just have to give them something else to gossip about, don't I?"

It happened so fast. He pulled you up by your collar, his fingers skillfully tugging your bow free before his face moved sideways, his lips latching onto your neck to kiss it. His hands grasped you by your shoulders, making sure you couldn't push him away as he continued his work, biting, sucking and kissing furiously. It took a few seconds for you to understand, to actually realize this was your uniform's bow on the floor and that the warmth on the side of your neck was him doing whatever he was doing. You could hear the gasps and a few squeals of delight as you felt a blush cover you face. You were rooted to the floor, barely even able to struggle out of shame.

"S-Shin!" you spluttered, pushing him on his chest. "S-stop!"

You heard a hum of satisfaction leave his lips as he continued, not even the least bothered by the commotion. People were actually running to look at the two of you as you desperately tried to back away from the boy. You only managed to trip against your chair and drag him down with you, ending up in a rather compromising situation with him on top of you.

The desperate plea you made only made the misunderstanding worse, "Shiiiin!"

It took a few extra seconds of him to actually move his lips away from your skin, a completely pleased grin on his mouth. His eyes twinkled mischievously as he stood up, brushing his purple hair back so he could tell all the people looking at him.

"I, Haruka Shin, love Ito Masumi. Try to steal her from me and I'll shoot you with my bow."

The following squeals and whistles only made you redder as he propped you up, carefully putting you back on your chair. Your hand immediately flew to your neck to rub the area he completely slobbered on and with a groan, you whispered, "You left a kiss mark, didn't you?"

"Well," he answered in that same amused tone you had used a few minutes ago, "I did what was necessary to affirm my virility and sexuality."

"...God, how am I going to explain THIS to my parents?" you whined pathetically, forcefully holding your collar to cover his work.

"Maybe," you heard an adult voice start. "You should start by explaining this to me."

"S-sensei." You gulped. "...Shin… attacked… me?" you offered tentatively.

"My office," your teacher drawled threateningly, "NOW."

Shin looked positively unaffected by the teacher's angry tone as he hopped toward the door. You, however…

_'IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT SHIN!'_

* * *

_"Apparently they tried to engage in physical relationship in the classroom but they forgot to lock the door!"_

_"The teacher had to pry them away with a crowbar! Can you imagine how steamy their kiss was?"_

_"I tell you, he did it because he wanted her to know he still loved her even though he loves No-Good-Tsuna! It's a love triangle!"_

_"*sigh* It's just like that awesome drama!"_

By the time the teacher had finished his tirade about children's irresponsibility and raging hormones, the rumors had already spread like wildfire. Shin and you had been separated for good measures, him being temporarily transferred in another class to avoid any other 'accidents'. The whispering around you, though, could not be stopped. You swore your face had never been redder than now. Minami Arata, your Discipline Committee escort, stood by your side to accompany you to your classroom. He, unlike you, seemed unaffected by the whispers but then again, he rarely seemed affected by anything.

"We are supposed to blend in," you heard him murmur to you. "Not to attract attention."

"I was," you answered unhappily to him, "but Shin had other plans."

"Just dump that boy." He stopped for a second to hand you your missing bow. "And fix that uniform of yours. Hibari-san won't be as forgiving as me if he sees you like this."

You tried as well as you could to fix your opened uniform, a few buttons had fallen off in the event. "I'm trying. It's not as easy as you think." He knew you weren't talking about your clothes.

His hand came against the wall, covering you from the view of others. With one look, the crowd around you scattered. "Yesterday night, Inoue-sama had asked me his name. Last time he asked for a name…" he glanced over his shoulder, making sure no one could be within hearing range. "You know what happened."

You closed your eyes, a brief flash of the past making you shudder uncomfortably. "And you will have to tell it to my uncle even if you didn't want to. Then my cousin will..."

"Get away from that boy, if you truly like him," he murmured gently. "Sentimentality is unnecessary in our line of work."

"You will tell my uncle his name," you whispered. "You will just insist on how much his feelings are one-sided like what you saw today."

He seemed to be calculating his risks in doing so. He had been there, a few desks away from you in your class. He had been keeping tabs on you, you knew. Eventually, he nodded. "Genji will probably be asked the same, but I doubt his words hold much credits against mine."

You pressed your hand against his chest, slowly sliding it up to rest it against his heart. The calm rhythm under your palm reassured you. "Who will you follow later, Minami? Me or… Shinichi?" The name of your cousin made his heart beat stronger as if he knew it was a risky subject when it came to you.

"Does it matter?" he answered back, his voice as steady as it had ever been.

You smiled, you supposed his proximity with you all these years had helped you, but it was hard to tell if you were right, though. Minami had been trained to be a cold-blooded killer years ago. "We both know it matters."

"Focus on your initiation, Ito-hime." He reached out, hesitating slightly, but you smiled and touched his hand. He had wanted to pat you but he was a sticker for proper Yakuza etiquette. You had always been the Kumicho's favorite. Familiarity with you was dangerous. "The first kill is always the hardest."

"...I know." You closed your eyes, sighing softly. You still hadn't started to plan your next attack. You had never thought you would miss. You blinked as you looked up at him again, suddenly realizing something.

"By the way," you frowned softly. "When will you and Genji quit this Regent hairstyle? It completely ruins your good looks."

All the tensions he had completely evaporated. His lips twitched into the smallest smile, a soft 'heh' of amusement leaving his mouth. He tilted his head sideways gently, unable to hide the twinkle in his eyes as he said, "Come on, let's go back to class."

You tugged on his sleeve to keep him one more second. "Thanks for yesterday. Emptying the school so much for me."

"I owed it to you."

"It was nothing." You found yourself whisper back. "I never consider you in my debts."

* * *

**End of "Normalcy"**

For those wondering what happened on Tsuna's side the night before, here is an extra.

* * *

The arrow sat on the table, tipless. The head of the arrow had broken into bits, shattering as it landed onto the ground. Tsuna, surrounded by all his guardians (minus Hibari and Mukuro because they didn't care if the brunet died and Lambo who was taking his nap) were together in a reunion.

"I don't think they wanted me dead," Tsuna declared uneasily, waving his hands to dismiss the shooting. "The arrow didn't even come close to hitting me!"

The answer to his declaration was a direct kick by his tutor, making him hit the floor with a hurtful THUD. "Ow."

"They meant to kill you, Dame Tsuna." Reborn said, standing on the table. "This was no amateur's work. The arrow was carefully selected to kill you upon impact."

Ryohei immediately grasped the arrow and added. "What an arrow! There is no tip! The shooter must have wanted to kill him with his extreme brute force!"

"Idiot!" The boxer received an equally merciless kick. The boy landed just as painfully on the floor.

"It was a flawed tip. Normal arrows are meant to be used repeatedly. However, this arrow had been faintly broken so it would shatter upon impact." The baby dropped a shard onto the table, a small leftover of the tip. "The medical team would have been so focused on getting the shards out, they would have missed the Fugu poisoning and you would have died on the table." He paused for a second, before he looked on the side. "It's a pity the shooter missed."

"You're saying this like you wished I was hit!" Tsuna complained unhappily.

"Don't worry, Tenth!" Gokudera added, flashing the boy his brightest smile. "I, as your right-hand man, will protect you with my life!"

"Yes. We will take care of the shooter before he tries again." Yamamoto added.

"...I saw her." The two guardians froze.

"Who is it?!" Gokudera sprung to his feet, dynamites in his hands. "Tell me who tried to shoot you, Tenth!"

The brunet shook his head. "I won't. I don't think… I don't think she really wanted to kill me. I can't believe she wanted to."

_'Not with the look in her eyes.'_


End file.
